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A Somali referee due to officiate at this month\u2019s World Cup will miss the tournament after being denied entry to the US.<\/span><\/p>\n Omar Artan, 34, was denied entry upon arrival at Miami International Airport and forced to board a flight back to Istanbul.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n US immigration authorities did not provide a reason for turning Artan away, but said the referee was \u201cdetermined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry\u201d, Al Jazeera reported.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Somalia is one of 39 countries affected by the Trump administration\u2019s travel ban.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n US president Donald Trump has repeatedly disparaged the country, calling Somali immigrants \u201clow-IQ\u201d and \u201cbad people\u201d at a White House Easter lunch in April.<\/span><\/p>\n Artan was named the Confederation of African Football\u2019s referee of the year in 2025 and was set to be the first official to represent his country at a World Cup.<\/span><\/p>\n He told AFP: “Despite the circumstances I am in a positive mood and I am focused on the next challenges in my refereeing career.”<\/span><\/p>\n A Fifa spokesperson said: “Fifa can confirm that match official Omar Abdulkadir Artan will be unable to train and officiate at the Fifa World Cup 2026 after he was denied entry into the United States.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n They added: “Fifa is not involved in host country immigration processes, including visa adjudications, and has been informed by authorities that Mr Artan’s status will not be changed at present.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The US\u2019s draconian immigration policies have also posed a problem for a number of other teams.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Iraq striker Aymen Hussein was detained for nearly seven hours on Saturday after flying into Chicago\u2019s O\u2019Hare airport.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n After extensive questioning, he was eventually allowed into the country. But the team\u2019s official photographer was barred from entry.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Visa issues have forced the Iran national team to stay in Mexico for the duration of the tournament.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The players have been granted a dispensation to travel to the US to play their three group stage matches in Los Angeles, but must return south of the border after each game.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Monday that plans to increase the number of ICE agents in New York would \u201cruin the spirit of the World Cup\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSoccer would not exist without immigrants. Immigrants play and coach the game, work in the stadiums, fill the stands, and make celebrations like the World Cup possible,\u201d Mamdani wrote on social media.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n